President Bola Tinubu has said that the fatal stampedes recently experienced during distribution of palliatives across the country were as a result of poor organisation.
Speaking last night – Monday, December 23 night – at his first media chat, Tinubu also attributed the mishaps to indiscipline on the part of the beneficiaries of the palliatives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that distribution of palliatives in Ibadan, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory recently resulted in stampedes, with no fewer than 60 lives lost to the incidents.
“Are we looking at it from the organisers’ point of view or are you looking at it from the goodwill gesture of the people trying to give out whatever they have?
“It is very sad that people are not well-organised. We just have to be more disciplined in our society,” the president said.
Although Tinubu commiserated with those who lost their family members, he, however, said that the stampedes could have been avoided.
“I have been giving out foodstuffs, commodities, clothing and envelopes for the past 25 years. I’ve never experienced this kind of incident because we are organised.
“We have to be disciplined as a country. If you don’t have enough to give, don’t attempt to even give or publicise it.
“Every society, even in America and Britain, has food banks. They have hungry people. They have warehouses, but they are organised; they take tokens to be on the line to collect,” he said.
He likened the stampedes to what usually happens at bus stops in the country where people don’t want to be on the queue.
“It is very sad, but it is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes.
“To me, I see this as a very grave error on the part of the organisers. But things are improving. It doesn’t kill our happiness for this season,” Tinubu said.
